My name is Jing, which means calm and peaceful. I am from Baoding in Northern China,, Hebei province.

Now I am living in Haarlem, in the Netherlands.

I graduated from the Hebei University with a degree in Economics and then went on to get a degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language in the East China Normal University, Shanghai (2011). I also have the Certificate for teaching Chinese to Foreigners from the Confucius Institute.

How long have you been a Chinese teacher for?

I became a Chinese teacher in 2011.

Why have you decided to be a teacher?

Since I was very young, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. Unlike other kids, I loved to stand up in front of people and was always super-excited to get the chance to “act” like a teacher. I really loved to go to the front of the classroom and explain the things I’d learned. I think I just burned to be a teacher. I’m always able to put myself in my students’ shoes and I love to think about how I would like my next class to be. I’ve never felt the sense of fulfillment, that teaching gives me, from any other job.

I especially love to work with children, I feel naturally able to speak and enjoy the “kid’s language”. I am never shy to act silly or crazy with my students. I feel awesome when I realize that I can help to make kids love Chinese, that because of me, learning is fun!

Why do you like teaching online?

I am obsessed with incorporating technology into my teaching, I love to explore all kinds of tools to help engage and involve my students, and make my classes more fun and efficient. On top of this, teaching online gives me so many possibilities; I can teach students from around the world and take my job with me anywhere.

What are your hobbies?

I love travelling and singing. I also love all kinds of interactive games that can be played in groups,, like the board games or outdoor activities.

What food/dish do you prefer? ( best to choose a typical dish from your country)

I love Chinese food. Even though I live in Europe now, I want to eat Chinese food all the time. I love the Donkey burgers from my hometown Baoding. They’re made of dough stuffed with donkey meat- delicious!

What is your favourite Chinese movie or book?

My favourite Chinese book is 围城 “Fortress Besieged” by Zhongshu Qian

What is your favourite place on earth?

My favourite place is home

What would you say to a friend to convince him/her to learn Mandarin?

Currently, Mandarin Chinese is spoken by over 1 billion people around the world. That’s about one-fifth of the global population. Each year more and more non-native students from all around the world, choose to study Mandarin, and are doing so with enthusiasm and success. With a good teacher and good pedagogy, I am sure that you can do it too!

My name is Ping Jiao. I come from the Shandong province, an eastern Chinese province on the Yellow Sea. Shandong is known for its Taoist and Confucian heritage. It was also home to the ancient state of Qi, the last kingdom conquered by Qin Shi Huang, who proclaimed himself China’s first emperor in 219 B.C. I live here now.

I majored in Chinese Teaching as a foreign language at university. I have a bachelor degree in Chinese. I have been a Chinese teacher since I graduated, nearly 5 years ago.

Chinese is so beautiful and this is what convinced me to become a language teacher today. I love the tone and melody of Chinese as well as the characters that look like drawings. I am so happy to share it to the world.

Why do you like teaching online?

Online teaching is the future: it is much more convenient that traditional teaching. What I like the most is that I can share so many tools and materials with my students: songs/pictures/videos…there is no limit!

What are your hobbies?

I love language and art. I like painting, singing, playing instruments. I like playing the 古琴Guqin, which is the oldest instrument in China. A Guqin is like a friend: it’s sound is very low, and it creates a very intimate atmosphere. It’s perfect when you have two or three friends sitting together, drinking some tea and singing songs while playing the Guqin. I love that!

I also love Classical music

What is your favourite dish?

I love eating Scrambled eggs with tomatoes (西红柿炒鸡蛋). It’s a typical sweet and sour Chinese dish. I love it! I also enjoy “Cola chicken” (可乐鸡翅) which is basically chicken cooked with cola. This is not Chinese cuisine but I like eating Western dishes as well! 🙂

What is your favourite movie?

My favourite movie is “Monkey King — hero is back” (大圣归来), which is an action movie with Jacky Chan.

What is your favourite place on earth?

My hometown is the best place for me, because it is old and it has a fantastic historical heritage. It’s a small city and I like it like that. I don’t like big cities. The landscape here is also really beautiful: we are surrounded by forests and rivers. I love walking and spending my time in the countryside.